I believe that a population that is proficient with firearms does in fact strengthen civilization. My experience is that it almost always results in the person seeing the world in a different, more individualist, way.
If you are investing some portion of your income/wealth to individualistic self-preservation in the event of societal breakdown, one should, from a purely rational perspective invest in the prevention of such a breakdown, which means the social safety net, democracy, community engagement, etc.
To not do so is, in fact, a bet against civilization, which is, in my humble opinion, literally barbaric.
It's unsubstantiated that the above actually strengthens civilization.